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RIA Edge Podcast: Wealth Enhancement Group’s Jeff Dekko on the True Drivers of RIA GrowthRIA Edge Podcast: Wealth Enhancement Group’s Jeff Dekko on the True Drivers of RIA Growth

The CEO of Wealth Enhancement Group discuses how to build a solid foundation for scalable growth.

Mark Bruno, Managing Director, Wealth Management

February 21, 2023

 

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When Jeff Dekko took the helm at Wealth Enhancement Group, it was a regional player with roughly $600 million in assets. Fast forward to 2023, and WEG is now one of the largest players in the RIA space with more than $60 billion in assets under management and a rapidly growing national footprint. 

While WEG has grown considerably through M&A, organic growth has played an important role in the company’s rise as well. In this episode of RIA Edge, Mark Bruno, Managing Director at Informa Wealth Management, speaks with Jeff Dekko, CEO of Wealth Enhancement Group, on how to build a solid foundation for scalable growth. 

Specifically, Mark and Jeff discuss:

  • What value the Wealth Enhancement Group can deliver to firms it acquires, and how it differentiates in a competitive buyer’s market

  • What is driving the overall M&A market in 2023

  • How to build a framework for scalable growth

  • The importance of constantly changing and updating marketing and growth strategies based on the businesses and client needs - as well as market opportunities

Resources:

 RIA Edge Podcast

Connect With Mark Bruno:

Connect With Jeff Dekko:

About Our Guest:

Jeff has more than 20 years of business experience in marketing, technology, operations and finance. He is responsible for overall leadership, growth and development of Wealth Enhancement Group. Jeff began his career with General Mills, Inc., where he served in a variety of marketing management positions. In 1994 he joined Recovery Engineering, Inc., where he was instrumental in the development and branding of the PUR water filtration system. Jeff was a key member of the team that successfully sold the company to Procter & Gamble for a 100% premium over market value. Through his work in technology and management consulting firms, Jeff has helped numerous organizations realize greater levels of success. Jeff provided consulting services to Wealth Enhancement Group before being asked to join the organization as CEO in 2003.

 

About the Author

Mark Bruno

Managing Director, Wealth Management, Informa Connect

Mark Bruno is Managing Director, Wealth Management at Informa Connect. In his role, Mr. Bruno leads the company’s Wealth Management media and event properties, which currently consists of WealthManagement.com, Inside ETFs and Inside WealthStack. He is also charged with driving several innovative new community and advisor-based initiatives, including the launch of the new RIA Edge podcast, event and webcast series.

In addition, Mr. Bruno is overseeing strategic partnerships and acquisitions to accelerate Informa’s growth within the financial advisor and wealth management communities. Mr. Bruno brings over 20 years of experience in the wealth management and asset management industries to Informa, including prominent leadership roles in industry media, research, and consulting organizations.

Before joining Informa Connect, Mr. Bruno was a Managing Director at ECHELON Partners, where he provided investment banking, consulting and valuation services to wealth managers. Mr. Bruno specialized in helping RIAs with a range of strategic initiatives, and his areas of expertise include organizational design and assessments, compensation consulting and succession and continuity solutions.

Prior to joining ECHELON, Mr. Bruno was the Managing Director and Associate Publisher at InvestmentNews, where he was responsible for overseeing a wide range of businesses, including IN’s research, content strategy, digital, custom publishing and sales groups. Mr. Bruno was with InvestmentNews for 12 years and helped establish the company as the leading B2B media brand in the wealth management industry. He played an integral role in the sale of InvestmentNews from Crain Communication to Bonhill Plc in 2018.

Mr. Bruno is an award-winning journalist, author and researcher who has written and edited for a number of financial publications over the past two decades, including InvestmentNews, Financial Week, Pensions & Investments and U.S. Banker. Mr. Bruno has also been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Chicago Tribune for his expertise in wealth and investment management. Mr. Bruno has received numerous accolades for his writing and reporting, including the American Business Media's prestigious Jesse H. Neal Award, and for his breaking news coverage and analysis of the financial services industry by The Society of American Business Editors and Writers. Mr. Bruno is the author of Save Now or Die Trying: Achieving Long-Term Wealth In Your 20s and 30s, one of the top-selling retirement planning books of 2007.